ALL SCI-FI

[Gord Green]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/jetpack-aviation-raises-2m-build-143846308.html

Flying cars are fine -- but why use a car when you can have a motorcycle instead? YC-backed startup JetPack Aviation wants to answer that question with the world's first flying motorcycle, a personal aircraft dubbed "The Speeder," a name that Star Wars fans will surely appreciate.



Now, JetPack has raised a seed round of $2 million from investors indulging Draper Associates, Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn, YC, Cathexis Ventures and a group of angels that it says will fund the development of the Speeder's first functional prototype.



Back in March, JetPack revealed its plans for the Speeder, which it says will provide a fully stabilized ride that's either pilot-controlled or fully autonomous. It can take off and land vertically, and reach top speeds of potentially over 400 MPH.

There are no exposed rotors systems, which make it a lot safer and easier to operate than a lot of other VTOL designs and helicopters, and the company says it can also be refueled in less than 5 minutes, which is a dramatically shorter turnaround time for powering up versus an electric vehicle.

This isn't JetPack's first aerial rodeo: The company, led by CEO and founder David Mayman, has already created an actual jet pack. Mayman himself has demonstrated the personal aerial jet pack numerous times, and it has been certified by the FAA, plus it landed a CARADA agreement with the U.S. Navy Special Forces for use in short-distance troop transportation. The jet pack also boasts a lot of features that sound, on paper, like science fiction: Over 100 mph top seed, and suitcase-sized portability, for instance.

That track record is why when Mayman tells me this $2 million round "should fully fund the first full-scale flying prototype, including all modeling designs and build," I tend to believe him more than I would just about anyone else in the world making a similar claim.

Part of the reason the Speeder is more viable near-term than other VTOL designs is that it will rely on turbine propulsion, rather than battery-based flight systems. This is because, in Mayman's opinion, "current battery energy density is just too low for most electrically powered VTOLs to be truly practical," and that timelines optimistically for that to change are in the five to 10-year range.

The Speeder, by comparison, should feasibly be able to provide quick cargo transportation for emergency services and military (its first planned uses before moving on to the consumer market) in a much shorter period.


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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Bud Brewster]

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Gord, this is amazing. These guys are actually creating the "courier cycle" I dreamed up in 1983 when I wrote The Wishbone Express!

For the illustrations I created in the deluxe All Sci-Fi version, I used jet skis as the courier cycle, like this one.



Using a little Paint.net magic, I created this version using the picture you posted!



And in The Wishbone Express an onboard computer was able to control the courier cycle and fly it through narrow alleys and even between the girders of a building under construction, all while keeping up a clever banter with the hero.

Here's what the makers of the Speeder say about their amazing machine.

[Gord Green]

Science fiction once again becomes science fact.
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Krel]

In those CG images, it looks like the pilot is hunched over the jet engine intakes. Better make sure there are no loose items on the flight suit. And there better be something to rest on, so you don't get sucked down onto the engines. That would suck, and ruin your day.

I'm still waiting on the jet pack, the JB-10, not the JB-11. Six engines may be safer than two, but it looks more bulky, and not as cool. I wonder why they didn't go with four engines.

David.

[Gord Green]

It looks like there is a frame above the turbo intakes.





You're right, the JB-10 is a beauty! Only problem with all jetpacks so far is the inability to carry enough fuel to really go anywhere.













_________________
There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Gord Green]

Of course the real desire is to fly like ADAM STRANGE , to defend Rann and the respect of his princess Allana and the planet he has adopted.








_________________
There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Bud Brewster]

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I love the Adam Strange concept, and I think it would make a great movie. Thanks for posting those comics.

As for the Speeder, frankly I prefer the jet ski design for the rider (see my jpegs above). He sits on a padded bench and he has a running board for his feet. Much more comfortable than laying on your groin!

A Speeder version with that design could include "stirrups" for the riders feet and a safety harness. Ironically, the way I described the "courier cycle" in The Wishbone Express (first written in 1983) was very much like the Speeder, not the jet skis I used for the illustrations.

Obviously I cheated with the illustrations and just used what was convenient (numerous photos of guys on jet skis) to show more-or-less what I had in mine for those scenes.

You gotta admit, guys, this big honkin' thing would make you feel a little less anxious about being way up in the air.



The way I imagined the courier cycle when I first wrote the novel was very much like the Speeder, although much larger, the way the jet skis look.

Here's an excerpt from chapter 16.
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[It was like] an ultra-sleek motorcycle, but without wheels. It rested on four short retractable legs. The saddle was designed to allow the rider to lean forward and lay on his or her belly while gripping a short set of handlebars. Most of the tapered nose was a transparent windshield that curved back to almost cover the reclining rider’s head.

Bill swung his leg over the saddle. The saddle curved up high in back to enfold his pelvis, and the padding ran all the way up to the handlebars so he could lie on his stomach.

On each side of the cycle, there was a recessed slot for his feet. Inside the slot on the right was the accelerator pedal. Just above and slightly forward of the foot slots was a cushioned bar which stuck out on each side of the cycle. Each bar fit snugly behind Bill’s sharply bent knees when he tucked his feet into the slots.

This, he realized, was designed to hold him down firmly in the saddle. Even if the cycle flipped over, he would be hanging by his knees, still able to work the accelerator pedal. The straps of a safety harness hung down on the right side, another guarantee that he wasn’t going to fall off.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Gord Green]

Just got my jetpack..….
Does'nt fly and just burns my butt!
_________________
There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Krel]